


The Spice of Life

by RinzlersGhost



Series: #BonjourContentChallenge [4]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Erestor needs a break, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:02:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29586951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinzlersGhost/pseuds/RinzlersGhost
Summary: You're a jack of all trades half-elf living in Imladris who managed to make a business for yourself making and delivering food to Houses and healers who don't have the time for lunch. Somehow this has escaped Erestor's notice, and he takes it upon himself to learn how to cook like you do, except he can't.Erestor X Fem ReaderDay 4 Prompt is Teaching/Learning a skill
Relationships: Erestor (Tolkien)/Reader
Series: #BonjourContentChallenge [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168115
Kudos: 8





	The Spice of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Mellon - Friend  
> Hir/hir-nin - Lord/my lord  
> Hiril - Lady  
> Taidor - Second in command

You were half-elven living in the Valley of Imladris. You had traveled most of Middle Earth over the ages, but there was a charm to Imladris that was incomparable to the rest of the realms. Certainly Lorien was enchantingly beautiful, a city built among the great mallorn trees, and the prowess of Eryn Galen lay not in the forest that surrounded it, but in the great Elvenking and his armies, but nothing was like Imladris, the Valley between the mountains, great thundering fords of the Bruinen, and the beauty of _Hir_ Elrond’s House tucked away in the realm.

You didn’t have a particular backstory. You supposed you were a jack of all trades as the humans called them. You were by no means defenseless. You had participated in battles and wars, but always found your uses after battle tucked away within the defenses, sometimes healing, sometimes helping out in the kitchens, sometimes acting as nothing more than a messenger, whatever gave you the most freedom at the time. That had left you in an interesting predicament when Elrond had offered you a home in the Valley, as you had many skills and no particular desire to settle down into any of them.

What you had stumbled into, by complete accident, was that many of the members of Lord Elrond’s Houses were consistently busy, whether they were counselors or healers or especially the masters of the Houses, and had little time to make for meals, often sending their servants or someone of the like to fetch them rations (you couldn’t believe rations of all things) from the kitchens. Some of the finer lords would buy directly from the marketplace but that was more expensive.

So you made yourself indispensable to the Valley by creating your own position, much to Lord Elrond’s amusement, of a personal food delivery service. It had started off as this small thing, a personal trip to the healing wards upon request or to bring Lord Elrond lunch when you noticed that he had missed it, and then slowly the popularity had spread and now you successfully managed your own business out of the community kitchens. You were able to more than pay back what you took and still have enough money left over for a healthy stipend. How Erestor had never discovered this was much more of a mystery to you than anything else.

* * *

Said elf-lord was currently slumped over his desk, head buried in his hands. He could feel the headache building behind his eyes. It wasn’t often that he got like this, but there was simply too much to be done. As of the moment, Lindir was enjoying his day off. Erestor envied the minstrel; he had something else that he enjoyed that took away the burdens of this position. Erestor, however, worked day in and day out with little complaint and only took days when he desperately needed to, even though Elrond disagreed with this ethic.

“You look awful, _mellon_.” Glorfindel. Erestor glanced up. He hadn’t even heard the other ellon come into his study.

“Have you got any herbs that would cure a headache?” Erestor tried to make a joke, but that only sent concern spiraling through Glorfindel’s eyes.

“When was the last time you were out of this study?” Glorfindel took in the scattered scrolls and mostly burned candles. It seemed the oil lamps had run out a long time ago.

“I would prefer to avoid the current company, although Hir Elrond has informed me that the Lady Galadriel and Lord Saruman are to be coming into the Valley in two days’ time. I... truthfully don’t know when was the last time...” Erestor blinked. “I don’t remember the last time I slept.”

“I think you need this more than I do.” Glorfindel set down the package he was carrying. Erestor opened the paper bag to be greeted with a delicious smell.

“Tell me you weren’t going to eat this in the library.” Erestor murmured.

“I make no promises, _mellon_.” Glorfindel remarked, his attempt foiled. Though, he was more than pleased to take the night off and spend it in your company instead.

“Where did you get this from?” Erestor unpacked the meal, dropping ceremony to dig into it, just realizing now how ravishingly hungry he was.

“ _Hiril_ Y/N makes and delivers every meal by hand.”

“Who? What?” Erestor blinked.

“Do you really not know, _mellon_? She offered an alternative to the rations that the healers would order with a small price for delivery, and she’s popular among the masters of the houses because she tailors to custom orders.”

“The Peredhel?” Erestor asked. Glorfindel nodded, taking a book from Erestor’s shelf. 

“Do you mind if I borrow this?”

“Don’t...”

“Eat or drink around it, I know.” Glorfindel remarked. “Try to get some sleep, _mellon_?” He asked quietly, placing his hand on Erestor’s shoulder lightly before leaving. Erestor noted the concern and truly wondered if he had been so absorbed into his work that he had failed to notice how the world outside moved around him. On a whim, after eating and finishing his work for the day (though it was unfortunately well into the night), Erestor slipped a note under Elrond’s door, asking for respite. He had originally put a number on it, thought about it and scribbled out the first one and then also scribbled out all numbers and just asked for respite in general. He didn’t even bother with the pleasantries of routine before bed, exhaustedly sinking into it and letting sleep take him.

* * *

You got the surprise of your life going into the kitchens one morning and finding someone else in there already. Well, scratch that, it wasn’t true. You worked around the other elves, in your own little area. It’s just, you were surprised to find someone else in your area, quite mumbling to himself as his fingers drifted over the containers of spices. You set down your morning’s gathering quietly as the others gave you a sympathetic look.

“ _Hir-nin_?” You asked quietly. When he froze and sort of turned to the side, you realized it was Erestor.

“I’m in your space, aren’t I?” Erestor asked. “I don’t know... some of these.” He gestured to the spices. “What did you make Glorfindel for dinner two days ago? I’ve tried to replicate it, but it doesn’t taste as good. It had heat that I don’t taste in our food.” You pulled book from beneath your counter where you kept everything that people asked for-- in this case, Glorfindel who you found highly enjoyed spicy food, had asked for a spiced chicken over rice, and you opened one of your spice containers for him to tentatively smell.

“This?” Erestor’s eyes widened.

“No, Valar no! That...”

“Is a lot of the spice all packed into one container, but mixed in with other spices, with meat, you may find that it has a different flavour.” You replied. Erestor’s cheeks flamed pink.

“Will you... will you teach me?” He asked quietly. “To cook like you do?”

“If you want me to.” You murmured, seeing he was uncomfortable. “Do you have the time today or are you busy?”

“I have time.” So that began your teaching career in cooking, starting with spices. While Erestor wasn’t as quick or efficient at you, he took excellent notes and learned quickly, which was more than you could say for most people. No matter how hard he tried though, he could never replicate the way you cooked, no matter how much he tasted it.  After weeks, he was starting to get frustrated.  You only saw his temper once and then he just stopped coming to work with you. Maybe he was embarrassed. You didn’t know, and you sure as hell had seen tempered chefs lose their minds, let alone someone who was just learning the basics.

So you asked Glorfindel almost every time you saw him “How is Erestor?” and generally got a generic response, leading you to believe that the two lords didn’t interact as much as you thought they did. Until one day you asked, and Glorfindel had a retort.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? You see him every day.”

“He... isn’t in the kitchens anymore, Glorfindel. He lost his temper one day, and just never came back.”

“Did he yell at you?”

“It wasn’t at me. I think he was just frustrated that he couldn’t get something to his liking. And who knows, maybe I don’t have everything I need in my space for him.”

“You know what he likes, right?” Glorfindel asked, sliding coin in your direction. “I’ll pay extra.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s Taidor Erestor and he will work himself right into the healing wards. In fact, he has on multiple occasions, and even Lord Elrond has at least once told him to stop and get some rest. The ellon doesn’t stop, and he could probably use a good meal. Besides,” Glorfindel had a mischievous look in his eyes, “Who knows if he was actually coming to the kitchens to learn... or to see you.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

“You would never know.” Glorfindel replied. You shook your head at him. “Tell me that he’s not one of the Valley’s more attractive and available ellons. You wouldn’t have spent all this time asking about him if you didn’t care at least a little bit.”

“Does he know you’re a matchmaker?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Glorfindel murmured. You picked up the coin, giving him a look and returning to the kitchens to make something up. Erestor had different tastes-- the occasional pop of spice and heat, brightly colored fruits and vegetables both raw and cooked, and to uniquely the three lords of Elrond’s house had an inexplicable craving for sweets that no one else in the Valley seemed to possess. If you had to guess, it was probably stress-related.

You gathered all your items into a picnic basket and made your way to Elrond’s House, slipping into the elf-lord’s study and waiting for him to finish working on his scroll. “ _ Hiril  _ Y/N.”

“Can I steal Erestor?” You asked bluntly. That made Elrond look up in surprise. “I know, it’s a strange request. It’s just that Glorfindel is worried about him and truthfully, so am I.”

“He’s holed away in his study. He’s been in that room far too long. Go give him a break. I don’t want to see him for the next week.”

“I...” You studied the twinkle in Elrond’s eyes. “Do you know something I don’t?”

“I see everything that happens in this Valley.” That was a vague reply.

“I pity you, my lord. It must be terrible.”

“Erestor is a private person. But even he has confidants. Perhaps it’s best that you do speak to him.” Yep, you took that as Elrond definitely knew something you didn’t. You backed out of his study to find Erestor. Admittedly you had never been this far into the House of Elrond before and Lindir actually had to escort you to the libraries where Erestor had made his study an offshoot of the main library. You stepped into the room, marveling at the books that were lined all across the walls. He had literally built himself a nook, books on three sides and a desk and map across the fourth wall.

“Don’t you get tired of being in here?” You asked. He glanced up sharply.

“ _ Hiril _ Y/N.”

“I don’t need a title, Erestor.” You murmured. “There are people worried about you.”

“I have work to do.” He replied simply.

“You need a break.”

“I. Have. Work. To. Do.” He got really snippy with you the second time. You placed your hands over his work, getting in his face.

“I’m worried about you!” You retorted sharply. He stared at you for what felt like the longest time, face completely impassive. You almost missed the sharp little glance down to your lips, tongue wetting his own nervously, before they flicked back to yours. 

“I was horrible to you.”

“You weren’t.”

“I was!” He replied harshly, hands slamming down on his desk, upset in his expression. “Why do you insist on pushing the matter?!”

“Because I miss teaching you! You have a brilliant mind, Erestor!” Your voice was sharp at first and then you saw the shock in his eyes. “I like your company. And Erestor, even seasoned chefs lose their minds when they can’t get something right. The only difference is that they have learned to temper themselves into not giving up, and you don’t strike me as the kind of ellon who gives up on things very easily.” 

“I...” Not very many things could shock Erestor into actually being wordless, but he really didn’t have the words. His eyes landed on your lips again, biting his own lower lip absentmindedly. You reached over his desk and pulled him up by the collar of his robes, taking the chance, and kissing him. When he didn’t immediately respond, you started to pull away only to find that his hand was at the back of your head. And his lips were on yours, desperately kissing you, as one would to a lover they hadn’t seen in a long time. He drew back with a gasp, flushing pink to his ears. “I’m so sorry!”

“Why? I enjoyed that.”

“We... aren’t courting, and I don’t know enough to know if you are promised to another, and that is not the way things are done...” What had been a completely silent Erestor was now a waterfall of reasons why it could not and should not have happened. You cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips.

“You’ve been given a week off by the Lord of the Valley. Come, have lunch with me. I’m not promised to anyone and I enjoy your company. Do you need more reason?”

“I’m sorry.” He apologized again, cleaning off his desk.

“I’m not.” You replied. “Now hurry up, or I’ll carry you out over my shoulders.”

“Glorfindel would have a heyday if he saw that.” Erestor muttered.

“Come on!” You teased softly. When he got meticulous about putting things away, you simply lifted him over your shoulder, grabbing the basket with your free hand and finding your merry little way across Elrond’s House. Lindir nearly dropped his harp and Elrond only raised an eyebrow slightly at Erestor’s stunned expression.

“I don’t want to see you back for a week.” Elrond commented.

“I don’t think I have a choice, _hir-nin_.” Erestor replied, shocked at how strong you were.

“No, I don’t think you do either.” Elrond laughed, watching the two of you leave.


End file.
